Her dreams
by Archangel610
Summary: Lucy has had it rough since her mother was killed. She's been bullied and abused at home and at school. The only thing keeping her sane are the dreams she is having. They seem so real that it is affecting her in reality. When her dreams lead to new revelations. Can Lucy be saved? Will she learn to trust again after years of never having anyone to rely on?
1. Chapter 1

"Jude darling, Lucy and I are going into the store to get her something to eat really quick" Layla said smiling towards her husband who was sitting down on a bench outside.

"Alright dear. Be careful." He said kissing the woman on her cheek.

As Lucy and Layla walked towards the gas station Layla couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. She felt like she was being followed and watched as they headed towards the store. It wasn't until a strong pair of arms came at Lucy that she knew her feelings were correct. She tried to stop the man as he grabbed Lucy but she was shoved into another man's arms who held a knife to her throat.

"You're going to stay quiet otherwise the little one gets it. Do you understand? We don't want Little Lucy to get hurt now do we?" The man snarled while whispering in her ear before knocking the woman out and shoving her in a car.

A few hours passed and Layla didn't know where they were or what these men wanted with her and her daughter. She heard some noise coming from the other side of the door only for it to open and a man walk in.

"Hello Mrs. Heartfilia." The man said smiling towards her.

"Who are you and what do you want with me and my daughter?" Layla asked holding Lucy away from the man.

"Now, Now. You can't know who I am but I can tell you that you and your daughter are being held for ransom. You see I don't think it is fair that you have all this money just to flaunt wherever when we could have use of it for better purposes. Don't you think?" the man spoke laughing near the end.

"Please just let my daughter go. She doesn't need to be involved in this I'll stay but just let her go back to my husband." Layla pleaded.

"Sorry but that cannot happen. You see I have set up separate ransoms for the two of you and unless he pays the combined ransoms for both of you neither one of you are leaving here."

"Momma, I'm hungry. When can we eat?" Lucy said looking up at her mother.

"You will only have food once a day since I assume you have already ate you will not get anything until tomorrow around noon." The man spoke before exiting the room to go somewhere else.

"Mama, can we go home to daddy now?" Lucy asked

"I'm sorry dear. I will find a way to get us out of here I promise." Layla said hugging her daughter and trying not to cry.

Layla looked around the room she was in trying to find a way to at least get Lucy out of her to keep her safe. There was a window above her that was small but big enough for Lucy to get through if possible but it wasn't big enough for her to get through. She knew her husband had already called the police as soon as they disappeared but if there was any chance to get Lucy to safety whether she made it or not it was worth every chance she took. She made her decision she would try to break the window and get Lucy through before they came back and shot them. She knew there would be no way they'd let them live even if they got the money. There was always the small chance they would let them live but it was a very slim chance since they didn't know them personally. She thought everything over and knew once she broke that window that it wouldn't be long before they came running in here to stop them. If she was fast enough Lucy could run and she'd be safe.

"Lucy, baby listen to me. I must get you out of here when I break that window and put you through it I want you to run and don't look back. Find someplace to get help so they can call daddy." Layla whispered to her daughter.

"But momma what about you? Why can't you come with me?" Lucy asked trying not start crying.

"Shh, shh, it'll be okay. Mommy can't fit through there and those bad men could hurt you. Please don't cry baby. I Love you and I will do everything I can to come back home with you and daddy. I will find another way out of here I promise." Layla said to her daughter knowing full well that she would possibly not make it out of this room.

"Ok mommy. I love you too." Lucy said sniffling

It all happened in a flash as soon as the window was broken Layla pushed Lucy through the window just in time for the door to open behind her.

"You bitch! You are not escaping that easy!" The man yelled as he shot his gun. As soon as bullet hit Layla's back she looked at Lucy who had stopped from hearing the sound. But what Lucy saw would haunt her for the rest of her life.

She saw her mother crying with her arm reaching out towards her with blood running from her lip from the glass that had cut her. Her last words telling Lucy to run and don't turn back. So Lucy ran and ran as fast as she could be crying until she saw an officer who was standing outside his car by a gas station. She jumped to his arms crying and tugging on him to help save her mother.

Hours passed by and the police found where Layla Heartfilia was being held but when they arrived it was too late. She had died the bullet had went through a major artery close to her heart. That day was a day people remember clearly seeing police cars surround an old warehouse with a little girl screaming for her mother as a police officer held the girl close trying to comfort the young girl.

It has been 11 years since the death of her mother and Lucy would have thought her life would have gotten better. She was wrong her father started drinking shortly after her mother died and the family business soon began to plummet. He wasn't taking care of the business as he should and Lucy knew that he was in debt up to his ears.

Lucy was on her way to school and hoping that she wouldn't be noticed as she got there. She had a friend or two but they only talked to each other on occasion due to the amount of hatred she had somehow gained towards her. She didn't want them being seen next to her otherwise the bullying would shift to them as well. She was hurting from the beating she took last night because it was the anniversary of her mother's death. It always was worse on that day but last night it seemed like it ten times worse than it normally was. She was covered in bruises that were littered down her stomach and arms. The worse once had to have been the ones that looked like handprints wrapping around her neck. But that wasn't what made the wounds worse it was huge gash she had on her stomach that she had to have her maid Virgo stitch up before she went to school this morning. She just hoped that for once that Lisanna and her friends wouldn't take the bullying too far today. She knew if they did she'd probably get sent to the hospital immediately due to the extent of her wounds.

"Hey, it's the bitch." A girl said walking towards Lucy

"What do you want Lisanna can't you see I'm not bothering anyone." Lucy said trying to walk away without her trying to hurt her but of course lady luck was against her. Before Lucy could get away she was pulled by her hair and thrown to the ground. It didn't take long before the girls started kicking her and reopening the stitched wound on her stomach. As soon as the blood seeped through her stomach Lisanna just laughed and walked off while making fun of her. After Lisanna left Lucy just laid there from feeling numb she knew she was losing blood but it's been happening so much she didn't even notice that someone had started carrying her to the schools' infirmary. Before she passed out she barely heard someone's voice screaming for help.

*Dream*

 _Lucy was laughing as she was running through a field from a boy with pink hair. It wasn't long before he caught her and pulled her down with him when he fell. The boy landed on top of her and just stared into her big brown eyes with such passion she hadn't seen before. Lucy felt for one time in her life that she was happy and belonged somewhere._

 _"_ _Luce…" the boy said interrupting her thoughts._

 _Lucy looking up to him with a smile on her face soon frowned as she realized who the boy was. He was one of her bullies and Lisanna's boyfriend. She was almost in tears that even in her dreams she couldn't escape the boy in front of her. But as soon as her sadness came up it vanished when she felt soft lips crash on to hers with such a fiery passion she'd felt that she would pass out._ _It wasn't until he stopped that she heard something she hasn't since her mother died._

 _"_ _I love you, Luce." He said. With those four words Lucy's dream world fell apart all the shining light that was surrounding them faded to black and the boy in front of her faded smiling sadly towards her. The next thing she knew she was doubling over in pain that was coming from her stomach before she woke up._

Lucy woke up screaming as she threw her body forward before looking around and finding herself in the infirmary once again. When she looked around she saw someone beside her leaning on the bed she was currently on. It was a boy she'd never seen before; he was passed out and holding onto her hand with what looked like tear stains on his face. Lucy had to admit he was very handsome but that didn't ease her mind. She was confused about why this boy would be so caring about what happened to her. Lucy froze when she saw him move and start to wake up. It took everything she had not to run out of the infirmary and get out of the room. When he looked up and saw Lucy it was when Lucy started getting nervous and her anxiety started going through the roof. She was scared was he just going to finish what her father and Lisanna started.

"You're okay. Thank god." The boy said sighing in relief.

"W…W…Who are you?" Lucy asked backing away from the boy next to her bed.

"My name's Sting I just transferred her from Sabertooth High. I found you this morning outside and carried you here. "he explained.

"Thank you. I'm Lucy." Lucy murmured.

"How did you get those wounds anyways that gash was horrible? The nurse said she still found fragments of glass in it and that it had been previously stitched." He asked the question Lucy hoped to whatever god was out there he wouldn't.

"I… I…uh… fell last night and hit a glass vase that shattered underneath me." Lucy lied. She hoped he would believe her.

"If you say so, I'm glad you are ok. School just ended looks like, Can I walk you home? I want to make sure you get there safe." Sting said.

Lucy blushed she'd never had anyone offer to walk her home or even act like they cared for her. It was a definite first for her to have such a handsome guy care for her let alone talk to her.

"I'd like that. Thank you for everything." Lucy said smiling for the first time in awhile

Sting froze he hadn't seen such a beautiful smile from a girl before and it made him feel guilty. He was starting to regret that bet he made with the pink haired idiot in the school.

As Lucy and Sting walked outside towards her house Lucy was surprised that no one had come up to her. Usually when she left she'd have another beating coming from either Lisanna or Natsu. She was still nervous about the dream she had and didn't know what was going on. She put that thought aside while she turned to get a better look at Sting. He was everything Lucy was not; confident, he had gorgeous baby blue eyes and a scar that went over one of them. He was handsome and she knew that had he shown his face in his classes he would be instantly popular with all the girls in the school.

"You know it's not nice to stare. I know I'm gorgeous and its hard to resist my good looks and charms." Sting said laughing.

"eep" Lucy squeaked after being caught before mumbling a quick apology and looking back down to her feet. When they got to her house went to run into the house after saying goodbye but was quickly stopped when Sting grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

"Lucy. I want to be your friend. I want to help you through whatever is going on with you." He said hugging her.

Lucy on the other hand was shocked. She thought she was dreaming again. She was feeling happy for once instead of feeling the pain that normally seared through her. Looking up she almost jumped back as her mind went back to her dream and replaced sting's calm smile to the one she saw Natsu make in her dream.

"I…uh… ok." Lucy mumbled looking down trying to hide the blush creeping up on her face.

"Here. This is my number call me or text if you ever want to." Sting said handing over a piece of paper.

"Thanks." Lucy said before turning around and running into her house only to shut it and fall to the floor behind it.

She turned and looked out the window as she saw Sting look at the door sigh and rub the back of his neck before mumbling while walking away. Sighing Lucy pushed herself up off the ground to head to her room and hide from her father for the rest of the night. As she was walking up to her room she heard a man yelling in her father's office. She figured it was just another debt collector or loan shark that her father owed money coming to get his money once again.

Lucy threw her stuff on the floor before walking over to her bed and laying down. She thought about her day and how it seemed to have taken a turn for the better. She thought about Sting and how kind he was to her. She knew even if she had just met him she was falling for him and hoped that things would keep looking up. Lost in her thoughts Lucy quickly succumbed to her slumber hoping for a brighter future.


	2. Chapter 2

***Dream***

 _"_ _Natsu! Ohh Natsu! Hurry, you're gonna miss it." Lucy screamed in excitement. She smiled as she saw Natsu come running into the living room. When he walked in Lucy's heart almost stopped there was Natsu without a shirt on and a towel wrapped around his waist. Her thoughts interrupted by the tv announcing what she was so excited about._

 _"_ _Lucy Heartfilia has become one of the top authors in Fiore. She is well known for her fantasy and romance novels that have become quite popular with teenagers. She will be attending a banquet in her honor to receive an award for this accomplishment."_

 _Lucy squealed and jumped into Natsu's lap as he sat down next to her. Before Lucy knew it, she was pushed down onto her back as Natsu kissed her. After a few minutes, they released from kissing and stared into each other's eyes. What Lucy saw in his surprised her for the first time in his eyes she saw love and not hatred._

 _"_ _Why can't this be real life" Lucy mumbled not realizing she said it out loud. When she looked up she saw Natsu's face looked like he was in pain._

 _"_ _Luce…" Natsu spoke while putting his hand to her cheek. Lucy felt bad even if it was just a dream she knew that her dream Natsu cared for her._

 _"_ _I'm sorry…" Lucy started before she was cut off by Natsu speaking._

 _"_ _Don't apologize. It's not your fault but… stay safe for me please." Natsu spoke softly while pulling her into his bare chest to hold her._

 _Lucy started crying into his chest until she saw it start to get dark again and look up to Natsu softly kissing her forehead with tears in his eyes. The last thing she heard before she woke up again was Natsu telling her he loved her once again._

Lucy woke up crying about the strange dream she had again. It felt like she was in a different world altogether when she was there. The Natsu in her dream was amazing and caring towards her when he in all actuality was cruel person. He was hateful and abusive to her at school although he didn't hurt her as much as Lisanna did. Her dreams hurt so much because it was making her feel torn between wanting to stay in her dreams forever and staying in the real world to stay by stings side. It's been weeks since he saved her from dying at the school. She had been spending time with him outside of school at the arcade. He had done everything he could to earn her trust and she did trust him more than anyone else. She couldn't count how many times he had saved her from Lisanna and her friends. Lucy having enough of moping around in her bed and got ready for another day at school.

As she got to the school, she saw Sting but when she went to say hello to him she saw him talking to Natsu. Deciding to see what was going on she hid behind the wall to see what was going on. It made her nervous because she still hadn't figured out her feelings completely. It was turning into a point where she could no longer see reality as it was. Her dreams were starting to interfere with how she felt in her real life. Coming out of her thoughts she heard what the two boys were talking about.

"Dude, I can't do it anymore. The bets off. There's more to her than you realize and she's become like a sister to me." Sting said.

"Hmph. The great Sting backing out of a bet isn't that shocking. What'd she do feed you a bunch of lies about her mother died. You do know she's the reason her mother died, right? That piece of trash doesn't need to be here." Natsu sneered.

"Shut up. For your information, I heard nothing about her mother, hell I haven't even seen her father." Sting yelled.

Lucy sat there trying to process what was being said and realized they were talking about her. Sting never truly wanted to be friends with her he only helped her because of a bet he had with Natsu. Walking out from behind the wall she walked towards sting emotionless while looking at the man she'd soon come to care for.

"LuLu…" Sting said looking wide eyed at the girl he was talking about. He hadn't seen her look so devastated and broken since he helped those couple weeks ago.

 _Smack_

Silence went through the area as Sting and Natsu looked wide eyed at the shy girl in front of them.

"H…How could you?! I expected it from this asshole because him and his girlfriend bully me every day but you! I trusted you! I… I…" Lucy stopped as she went running only to fall to the ground crying as she reached the small playground at the park. She wished that she could go into her dreams and just have her dream Natsu hold her while she cried into his arms. She's had a crush on the real Natsu since she was little but when everything happened with her mother he started being hateful to her. Her dreams were the only escape she had now that Sting was no longer there. Since her other friends lately haven't been even texting her since the day of the infirmary.

Once Lucy realized that she'd been at the park all day and it was now 4 pm she decided she'd better get home before her father notices.

"Why can't my dreams become my reality?" Lucy asked herself before running towards her house.

Once she got home she hurried in the house hoping to make it to her room before her father saw her but it didn't work out.

"Lucy! Get over here now!" her father yelled.

"Yes, Father." Lucy mumbled. As she walked to her father she felt pain immediately hit her face only to realize her father slapped her. He'd been drinking again and it's only getting worse everyday. Lucy laid there as her father beat her and occasionally threw his beer bottles at her. Her screams barely registered as she becomes completely numb through all the pain she's felt all day. After her father finished beating her Virgo came and grabbed Lucy and helped her to her room to doctor her wounds.

Natsu had been having a hard time sleeping lately his dreams have been filled with the blonde he used to hurt, the same one his girlfriend currently bullied. The first one he had was them in a field a couple of weeks ago but the one last night had torn him up inside. When he heard, her say she wished that it was reality had sent him a shockwave of pain straight through his chest. He had never imagined a life with the petite blonde but the more his dreams intruded the more he felt a pull to the girl. He was shocked today when Sting called off the bet only to be completely blown away as he saw the girl slap Sting across the face before running away crying. His thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing a familiar ringtone. It was Lisanna, he had decided earlier that it was time to break up with her these dreams were starting to get to him and he couldn't handle seeing the blonde in pain anymore.

"Hey baby." Lisanna cooed over the phone.

"Listen Lisanna we need to talk." Natsu spoke.

"Sure babe want me to come over?"

"Uh, just meet me at the park near my house." Natsu suggested.

"Ok I'll be there in a few minutes' bye babe." Lisanna purred.

"bye." He mumbled before hanging up.

Sighing Natsu went towards the door. He had been hoping that the dreams would stop but after two weeks straight of dreaming about her he was at his wits end. It didn't help that he also knew Lisanna had been cheating on him recently with some college student. It just added to his list of reasons to dump her then and there.

As he got to the park he saw the blonde that's been plaguing his dreams only to freeze as he heard the words she spoke in his dreams last night fall from her mouth. Natsu wanted nothing more than to chase after her but he had no right to chase after her especially with what he's put her through. Natsu sat on the bench that was at the edge of the park only to stand up when he saw Lisanna.

"Hey babe. What'd you want to talk about?" Lisanna asked.

"I think we should break up. It's not working anymore." Natsu explained.

"What?! What the hell do you mean it's not working anymore?" Lisanna screamed.

"Why the hell are you screaming? Seriously, I know you're cheating on me with that college guy. I'm not as dense as you think I am Lisanna. I know when my girlfriend is cheating on me. So get over it we are done." Natsu yelled back.

Lisanna went silent. After not hearing anything from her Natsu walked away and back to his house leaving her there standing with her mouth gaping open like an idiot. He was done with the day and he was tired so the first thing he did as soon as he got home was pass out in his bed to forget the hell he called a day.

Lucy was lying in bed while Virgo bandaged her wounds they didn't need stitches but if she left them alone they would get an infection. It didn't take long after Virgo was done for her to pass out from exhaustion and pain. She knew that she wouldn't be going to school tomorrow after the extent of her beating again today.

* **dream***

 _Lucy was in the hospital when she entered her dream. She looked down and saw the same wounds she had last night and her stomach was bandaged up again from what she could tell. She looked around and on a chair next to her was Natsu sleeping peacefully with his head resting on her bed. Without realizing what she was doing she starting running her hands through his hair while smiling at the sight of the pink haired man. When Natsu woke up and he saw the state she was in he was almost in tears because of all the cuts and bruises that were littered all over her. He got up and started hugging her waist while he cried in her lap._

 _"_ _I… told… you to stay safe." Natsu said between sobs._

 _"_ _I'm sorry Natsu. I tried I really did but I'm not strong enough." Lucy said._

 _"_ _Who… Who did this?" He asked looking up into her eyes._

 _It took Lucy back for a minute but she knew the answer right away about who did this to her. Her father all the wounds were once that had been inflicted on her by him at one point or another. The bruised hand marks on her neck to the gash across her stomach._

 _"_ _My father…" Lucy said. It was a dream so she knew that even if she told him no one would ever find out about the truth in the real world._

 _Natsu shot up immediately as he heard her answer and saw that she wasn't lying. He was so confused he expected Lisanna to be the answer not the girls father._

 _"_ _What do you mean your father did this? How could…" Natsu asked before he stopped talking to look at the girl in front of him._

 _Lucy just sadlly smiled and began to explain everything from her mother's death to what happened after she escaped the kidnappers. Her father's drinking habits and the business failing to him putting blame on her for the death of her mother._

 _"_ _Luce… I'm sorry… I'm sorry" Natsu said hugging her as he tried not to cry from the guilt he had been feeling._

 _"_ _Natsu. Please don't be sorry. I'm used to it. I have until graduation and I can leave and never come back to this town ever again." Lucy said hugging him._

 _"_ _You're gonna leave me?" Natsu question staring at the blonde he was holding._

 _"_ _Natsu. This is just a dream. The real you does not care for me but is cruel to me. How can I leave you if I see you in my dreams every night? I'll still you in dreams even if I leave." Lucy said. After Lucy finished she saw the room start to go black again signally that she was waking up once again to face reality._

Natsu woke up the next morning crying the dream he had last night was a real tear jerker. He saw the blonde in the hospital with cuts and bruises all over but the worst was a gash that he had seen barely on her stomach. It confused him though because his dream Lucy had said it was her dream and that he wasn't real. But what confused him most was the fact that it wasn't Lisanna that caused all those injuries it was her father. He remembered when he first went into that dream and seeing her covered in wounds made him break down. He started crying in her lap because she had gotten hurt and it threw him off that even though she said she'd stay safe she still got hurt. Not giving himself anymore time to ponder over the dream he got up and got ready to face the day. He had a small glimmer of hope that he would see the blonde that has been plaguing his dreams.

As Natsu arrived to the school he saw his friends were already there and joined them at the table outside the school to sit down. He was exhausted from all the crying he had apparently done throughout the night.

"Woah you look like shit!" Gray said to him.

"Shut it Ice Princess. It's these stupid dreams they are driving me crazy." Natsu griped.

"Dreams?" He head a feminine voice say as she walked up to the group.

"Yeah Levy Dreams. The one last night tore me up emotionally and I can't take it anymore." Natsu said.

" What happened in it?" Levy asked.

Natsu explained every detail of the dream he had last night and the fact that his dream lucy kept making it sound like it was her dream and that he was not real. He explained how he woke up crying for real after crying in the dream and the fact that these dreams were causing him issues. He watched as Levy thought about what he said for a second before she grabbed a book out of her pile and threw it at him.

"That's it! Astral Projection!" Levy shouted.

"Ow. Shrimp calm down! Don't have to shout were right here." Gajeel complained.

"What are you talking about Levy?" Natsu asked

"Ok. It's kind of like a Lucid dream but you guys are sharing an actual dream. One of you two can project yourself into the others dream unconsciously. That's the only thing I can think of but I wonder which of you two is doing it?" Levy said

"How is that even possible? I'm sorry Levy but it can't really be her I'm talking to in my dreams it just doesn't make sense." Natsu said

"Hmm you remember the wound on her right? Didn't she have an incident a few weeks ago where sting had to take her to the infirmary do to her losing blood from a wound on her?" Levy questioned.

"Levy you're a genius. Thanks, I'm gonna go talk to sting" Natsu yelled.

Natsu didn't know why he didn't think of it before he remembered that day it was a day after he made the bet with sting. Sting claimed he could get any girl in the school to fall for him and he had made a bet that he couldn't get Luce to fall for him. He found Sting trying to flirt with a white-haired girl named Yukino by the gym.

"Yo, Sting! Gotta question for ya!" Natsu yelled.

"What is it Natsu? I'm still pissed at you for what happened with Lucy." Sting said

"Ha ha… well you see I wanted to ask you about when you took Lucy to the infirmary. My friend Levy was worried and she wanted me to see if you could tell me how bad her wound was." Natsu said nervously.

"Seriously? Whatever. She had a huge gash on her stomach that went from the very top of her hip bone to the opposite side just below her rib. It had to be re-stitched, plus she had bruises up and down her arms and some on her neck." Sting explained only to look curiously as he noticed Natsu had went completely stiff.

"Thanks… I'll tell her… uh look I'm sorry about everything and I need to go apologize to Lucy as well but I feel awful about everything." Natsu said rubbing the back of his neck.

"No Problem but you have a lot more to prove to her than me. I'm not the one you bullied for years." Sting said

"I know."

Natsu spent the rest of the day looking for the blonde only to worry because she wasn't there all day. She'd been absent from every class she'd had like his. He'd explained to his friends that the description of the wounds was the same as the wounds on her he saw in his dream. Levy thought that maybe she didn't have some of those wounds now but because she was in the hospital the dream projected the past injuries she had sustained. He knew since it was going to be the weekend tomorrow he would have to either figure out where she lived or wait until Monday to see her. He could explain it in their dream tonight but the question is would she forgive him.


	3. Chapter 3

Lucy spent the rest of her day trying to sleep but she never had dreams of Natsu and it made her lonely. She hoped that she could spend the day sleeping and spending her time with her dream Natsu. It was her only way to escape the harsh reality that she would never be with the real Natsu that way. It seemed that it just didn't work she couldn't sleep and when she did Natsu never showed up in her dreams. Since she couldn't sleep she spent what she had left reading until it was about 10 pm and finally decided she could try again.

* **Dream***

 _"_ _Luce! You're Okay! Oh, thank god!" Natsu yelled as he ran over and hugged the blonde._

 _"_ _Of course I'm ok Natsu. Why wouldn't I be?" Lucy questioned. She found it strange that it was almost like she was talking to the real Natsu again before he started to hate her._

 _"_ _You weren't at school today and after I saw the wounds on you last night I freaked. I found out something I need to tell you about." Natsu explained._

 _"_ _Huh? What do you mean?" Lucy asked this dream was getting stranger by the second._

 _"_ _Come on let's go sit down on the couch." Natsu said pulling her over the couch and sat her down next to him._

 _"_ _What's wrong Natsu?" Lucy asked. She was getting worried every second her anxiety was starting up again because her dream Natsu was acting strange._

 _"_ _Luce… I'm sooo sorry. I don't know why I didn't believe you when we were kids. I'm sorry I bullied you and I'm sorry I didn't protect you from Lisanna. These dreams have been driving me crazy and I realized today that you are the real Lucy just as I am the real Natsu. I'm not a dream, Lucy; you have been talking to the real me the whole time. One of us is using something Levy called Astral Projection." Natsu explained._

 _Lucy sat there frozen by the revelation that was just dropped on to her shoulders. Natsu, her dream Natsu was the same one from the real world. All those times they kissed in the dreams and the times she spilled her heart out to the man in front her._

 _"_ _You can't be serious." Lucy whispered._

 _"_ _Luce… I'm not lying. It's really me I was gonna tell you today. I found out from sting that the wounds I saw in my dream were the same wounds you had that day you were brought to the infirmary. I know I can spend my whole life apologizing for what I did to you but I promise from now on I will protect you from Lisanna and from your father." Natsu said looking into Lucy's eyes._

 _Lucy froze. She never considered that this Natsu was real and now someone knows about her father. She was scared because of what her father would do to her if he found out someone knew what he was doing to her. As Lucy thought of the possibilities of what could happen to her she started shaking and crying._

 _Natsu sat there waiting for Lucy to process what was going on but it didn't take long before he saw her start crying. What scared him the most was when she finally looked up and the amount of fear in her eyes scared the hell out of him. He'd seen a blank expression a good majority of the time when Lisanna would hurt her but never downright fear._

 _"_ _Luce… What's wrong? Please don't shut me out. I know I have so much to do to get you to trust me again. Please don't fear me, I don't know how I can help if you're scared of me." Natsu said as he went to hug her._

 _"_ _I… It's not you I fear… My father… If… he…" Lucy started to say before crying harder. She clutched onto Natsu's shirt still shaking from the fear of her father possibly killing her if he found out._

 _"_ _I won't let your father hurt you Luce." Natsu said pulling Lucy's face up to look at him._

 _"_ _You can't always be there. I… I…still don't know if I can trust you." Lucy said as she saw the dream fade once again. When she looked up at Natsu's face that was slowly fading away and was surprised when she saw devastation and guilt written all over his face._

 _"_ _I'm sorry" Natsu said as the dream faded completely._

Lucy was ripped out of her bed by a strong arm but when Lucy saw her father in front of her she was scared. He looked like he was outraged at her and she could smell the stench of alcohol on him.

"You are the reason my wife died and you sit there and sleep peacefully. You don't deserve to even be here." He screamed at her.

"Daddy, please I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Lucy screamed as she covered herself with her arms as her father started to punch her.

"Don't you dare call me that! You are just a murderer not my daughter!" he yelled.

Lucy tried to get up to hug her father in hope that it would stop the hitting. "I miss her too daddy! How is it my fault if I was only a kid? I was doing what mom told me to I saw her get shot with my own two eyes. Do you not realize that I just needed you to help me through this as well?!" Lucy yelled.

Lucy's hope that she could talk some sense into her father was shattered when she saw anger and hatred in his eyes. Before she could stop him, he grabbed his bottle and threw it at her face cutting her cheek. She grabbed her face from the pain and screamed when she felt something sharp stab her in the stomach followed by several punches and kicks.

After her father left her there, Lucy passed out from the pain and blood loss. Virgo came in shortly after to see to her wounds but when she saw the severity of them she had no other choice anymore. She hurried and put pressure on the wound and carried her to the Hospital that was down the street. When they arrived, the nurses hurried and grabbed the blonde and rushed her to the operating room. It took an hour for the doctors to get her stable. She had to have a blood transfusion due to the amount of blood she had lost. Virgo was devastated by the events that had taken place and could no longer stand by as she saw her getting hurt. She explained to the doctors and police that had arrived what had happened and how often it had been happening. While she was talking to the police she started hearing screaming coming from the waiting area. She went to look and it was a pink haired boy demanding to see Lucy.

Natsu had woken up from the dream feeling horrible, he knew he had a lot to prove to Lucy. He was willing to do anything to prove to her he had changed. He got up to get ready for the day he planned on trying to find where Lucy lived and take her wherever she wanted to go. It was when he got out of the shower he noticed that Levy had called him. He called her back only to be answered with crying from the small bluenette.

"Levy what's going on?" Natsu asked

"Natsu! I just saw Lucy being carried into the hospital! I heard the doctors say they had to bring her into emergency surgery and her chances were slim. She was losing too much blood. Oh god. What if she dies?!" Levy cried hysterically.

"What!" Natsu screamed as he hurriedly got dressed and ran out the door to his house. He had hung up on Levy after she told him.

He couldn't believe he just told her he would protect her and there she was already on death's door from being hurt. 'Lucy please be ok' he thought trying to fight off the tears that were trying to escape. As he entered the hospital, he went straight to the desk and started demanding to know whether she was ok or not. He barely registered his surroundings until he felt a small hand on his shoulder. When he turned around a pink haired maid had pulled him aside and started explaining that she was the one who brought Lucy in.

"Excuse me, Miss Virgo?" a doctor came up and asked.

"Yes, sir." Virgo said.

"Miss Heartfilia is out of surgery. We were able to get her stable and the wound stitched. Wound wise she is out of the risk of dying but she has yet to wake up. We don't know when or if she will wake up." The doctor explained.

"Can we see her? I need to see her please." Natsu asked

"Yes, sir. She can have visitors and we will also notify the police when or if she wakes up. They will need her testament of what happened. She is in room 101."

Before the doctor could speak again he ran straight passed him and went towards the room she was in. When he got to the room he froze when he saw her injuries. It was their dream, the one where she had ended up in the hospital but the wounds were worse than what they showed in the dream. He saw the cuts on her face and bruises that ran down her arms. Seeing her hooked up to the machines nearly broke his heart as he saw the girl that had snuck her way into his heart unconsciously. Natsu broke down leaning up against her bed holding her hand. He cried seeing her in this condition he had never thought that this dream would become real. It didn't take long before he fell asleep from crying and he hoped that he would be able to see her in his dream.

*Dream*

 _Natsu woke up in the same field he saw that day a couple of months ago. He looked around and saw a blonde standing a little bit away from him staring at the sky. The sun was shining brightly over her making her look like she was glowing._

 _"_ _Luce…" Natsu said causing the girl to turn around and look at him._

 _Natsu ran towards her only to collapse completely in her arms. The stress of the day and seeing her here was getting to him._

 _"_ _Natsu? What's wrong?" Lucy asked confused as to why he was freaking out so much from seeing her._

 _"_ _Luce… you're in the hospital. That dream it came true but they said there's still a chance you won't wake up. Please… Please… don't leave. Please wake up." Natsu begged._

 _Lucy sat there for a moment pondering what he was saying. She knew she had been hurt by her father but normally Virgo would have taken care of the stitching. She's never taken her to the hospital before but then it hit her. What if the wounds were so bad that Virgo had no choice but to take her to the hospital._

 _"_ _Natsu how bad was I?" she asked_

 _"_ _Luce… it took them an hour to get you stable. You lost a lot of blood and they weren't sure whether you were going to live or not."_

 _Lucy stood there and looked at Natsu as he continued to hug her. It made her feel safe and relieved at how he was holding onto her like if he let go she would disappear forever. She knew he had said he wanted to prove himself to her and prove that he had changed. In her dreams he was the man she wanted to see him as but she had yet to see it in reality. She wasn't gonna forgive him just yet for all the years of pain he helped put her through. Even though it was minor compared to Lisanna or her father, she still felt he didn't deserve to be forgiven so easily just yet._

 _"_ _Natsu…What made you change how you treated me?" Lucy asked. It didn't make sense that he suddenly stopped hating her._

 _"_ _That first dream we had in the field I wasn't fully there but I could see what was going on. Even though I was just watching the dream it made me question what I was doing to you. Then we had that dream where you had won that award. I was fully emersed in the dream that time everything I did was me, I thought it was just a dream but when I heard you say that you wished they were real. My heart felt like I had been stabbed because I was guilty. I knew I treated you horrible but it wasn't until that dream that I saw what could be. I saw the you that no one sees, the excitement and cheerfulness. I found myself thinking about you during the day and watching you after every dream we had. I broke up with Lisanna because I couldn't handle it anymore. I wanted my dreams to be real as much as you did, I wanted to see that side of you that I only saw in my dreams. But then the dream where you had been in the hospital came and I broke down. I couldn't handle seeing those injuries on you and it irritated me that I wasn't there to protect you. I thought when I asked you who hurt you that you would have said Lisanna hurt you but I never expected you to be hurt by your father. It was when I woke up and talked to my friends and sting that I realized it was really you I had talked to. I vowed I would do what I could to make sure you were safe and be there for you no matter what." Natsu explained._

 _Lucy didn't know what to say, to say she was surprised was an understatement. She still wouldn't forgive him just yet, he still had to prove himself to her. She went to move and back away from Natsu so she could look at him. As she did, he stopped her and held onto her tighter making her unable to move from where she was._

 _"_ _Please… let me hold you just a little longer." Natsu begged._

 _"_ _Natsu… look at me please." Lucy said._

 _As Natsu looked up he saw her smile at him and bend down to wrap her arms around him._

 _"_ _Natsu, everythings fading again. I'm waking up Natsu. I'll see you when I wake up." Lucy said._

 _Before the dream fully faded, Natsu grabbed Lucy's face and kissed her only to see her disappear leaving him in the field by himself._

When Lucy woke up she saw Natsu in the same position he had been in her dream _,_ he was asleep sitting next to the bed holding her hand. Lucy could see that he'd been crying and still was currently. She moved her hand and started running her fingers through his hair in an attempt to comfort him. She'd only ever seen this side of him in her dreams and she could tell it was starting to take its toll on him as well. She didn't know how they were sharing the dreams but she hoped that it leads to a better life for her. She knew she could forgive him eventually and everyone else that had hurt her but it would take time. She still didn't trust anyone but Virgo and Levy, even if she hadn't talked to levy in a while. Levy was one of the few that had talked to her but since everything that has happened these past couple months neither one of them has contacted each other. Lucy looked down at the sleeping man beside her and decided to give him a chance to earn her trust. Before she could think of anything else, Lucy looked up and saw a nurse come in and look at her with shock before rushing over to her to check her over.

"Ms. Heartfilia, it's good to see you awake. Your boyfriend was very worried about you it's not often you find someone so dedicated to you dear. He's a keeper." The nurse said.

"Oh… uh… he's not my boyfriend." Lucy mumbled.

"Oh dear, well the way he was freaking out I assumed. My mistake." The nurse laughed. "Well dear, the police are going to be in here in a few to question you. The woman that brought you in told them most of it but they need you to talk to them as well."

Lucy was scared what if she told the police and her father found her before they could get him. He would kill her with no second thought especially since he would have nothing left if he went to jail. She didn't know what she was gonna do but was cut out of her thoughts when she felt Natsu moving next to her. She looked up and saw he was climbing next to her in the bed and holding her.

"Luce. It's gonna be ok. You're not in this alone anymore. You have Virgo, Levy and I, were not gonna let you go back to him anymore." Natsu said hugging her.

The sound of someone clearing their throats interrupted the two's moment. When Lucy looked up she was shocked at who she saw in front of her.

"You…" Lucy stuttered.


End file.
